Srinagar- Amidst a controversy surrounding a potential birth year discrepancy, the nomination papers of Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, National Conference candidate for Srinagar Lok Sabha seat were deemed valid by the election authorities on Friday.
During the scrutiny of all 39 nomination papers received for the seat, 29 nominations were found valid as per the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. The rejected candidates include National Conference leader Salman Sagar, who was the covering candidate of the party.
While 29 candidates are in the fray in the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, with National Conference leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and PDP youth wing president Waheed Parra being the main contenders.
Notably, a recent Right to Information (RTI) inquiry revealed that Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, has allegedly manipulated his birth year on official documents. The RTI also said that the NC candidate may likely face disqualification and potential legal consequences due to alleged manipulation of his birth year on official documents.
According to the RTI filed with the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Srinagar, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi was born on August 11, 1982, at Gupkar Nursing Home. However, since his first election in 2002, all of his election affidavits have stated his year of birth as 1977.
Sources said that the discrepancy has raised concerns, especially considering a previous legal case in 2002 where his uncle, Aga Syed Mehmood, accused him of altering his birth year. Despite the case being dismissed at the time due to lack of conclusive evidence, the recent RTI findings have reignited scrutiny over the matter, they said.
They said that Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s passport also lists his year of birth as 1982, contradicting the information provided in his election affidavits. It is alleged that his birth year was manipulated in 2002, possibly to enable him to contest elections at a younger age, they added.
They further said that the potential consequences for Aga Ruhullah Mehdi could include retrospective disqualification from previous terms as an MLA and possible jail time as per Section 125-A of the Representation of People’s Act. If convicted, he could also face a bar from contesting elections for up to 15 years and may be required to reimburse all previous remuneration received as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.
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